her right hand and brought it up over their heads. She hit the door hard, pivoting her body as she sailed through and spraying the room with bullets. Splinters bit into her back as she slid with her body curled up around Danny’s, still firing. Two men dropped.
The door slammed behind Alex and he dropped to the floor next to them. “You do know how to make an entrance, sweetheart.”
Grace barely heard him. She peeled Danny away from her and checked him for injuries, hardly noticing the tears spilling over both of their cheeks. He was dirty and had a couple of scratches, but nothing a shower, some hydrogen peroxide and a couple of Band-aids wouldn’t cure.
“That was so cool !” he said, squirming under her kisses.
Her chest was still heaving and her muscles still screaming and there was no way in hell she could have heard him correctly. “Cool?”
“He said you could do stuff like that, but I didn’t believe him. I mean, you’re like just a mom . So I told him there was no way.”
Grace looked over at Alex where he’d gone to watch through the windows as their foes tried to come up with a plan. He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly sharing her thoughts.
“Who said that, honey?” she asked Danny.
“Ricky. He said he was an old friend of yours and that you all used to do stuff like this all the time. And that nobody was going to hurt me and I might get to see it before I go home.”
Ricardo Escobar . She took a deep breath before answering him. Whatever the dead asshole walking had told her son, it was helping to keep his trauma to a minimum and she didn’t want to blow it. But knowing the man had talked to her son—breathed the same air—had her aching to kill the bastard.
“He’s not really a friend of mine, honey. He’s a bad man and he took you, and we came to get you back.”
A spray of bullets tore up the flimsy wood over their heads and Grace threw herself over Danny. She shielded him with her body as they crawled toward the back of the room, where piles of wood and junk would offer him more protection.
He was shaking now, and his eyes told her he’d finally realized this wasn’t as cool as he’d first thought it was. “I want to go home, Mommy.”
“I know, baby. You curl up here and I’m going to go talk to Alex and see if he’s got a plan yet, okay?”
He nodded and Grace made her way back to the front of the room, staying low. “How’s it look?”
“Gallagher says they’re moving toward us, but they’re concentrating on the rear of the building. The boats are back there, so they must think we’ll make a break for them. But he found a place he can put the bird down. The longer we sit here the higher the chance of the helo getting taken out or reinforcements arriving. But it’s risky…”
Grace was quiet. While Gallagher zoned out to plan his or the team’s moves, Alex talked himself through the process. He always had, and her ability to hold silent and trust his judgment had been one of the reasons they’d worked so well together.
“The helo’s just through that grove and over the knoll,” he continued. “You run for it on foot while I lay down cover fire. Blow away anything that moves—just get Danny to that helo and Gallagher will take care of the rest.”
Icy fingers of fear strangled Grace’s heart. “Oh God…”
She couldn’t decipher his look through the veil of tears suddenly blurring her vision. “I can’t do it, Alex.”
“What the…now isn’t the time to go soft on me.”
“Soft, you—” Grace stopped and took a deep breath. God willing, she could yell obscenities at him later. “The helo’s almost a quarter mile from here, at a dead run. He’s too heavy for me. I barely made it here. And he’s never been a fast runner.”
He was silent while she paused to swallow…to breathe. “I’ll have to holster my gun. You’re strong enough to carry him and fire. There have been shots from that direction. We have
The door slammed behind Alex and he dropped to the floor next to them. “You do know how to make an entrance, sweetheart.”
Grace barely heard him. She peeled Danny away from her and checked him for injuries, hardly noticing the tears spilling over both of their cheeks. He was dirty and had a couple of scratches, but nothing a shower, some hydrogen peroxide and a couple of Band-aids wouldn’t cure.
“That was so cool !” he said, squirming under her kisses.
Her chest was still heaving and her muscles still screaming and there was no way in hell she could have heard him correctly. “Cool?”
“He said you could do stuff like that, but I didn’t believe him. I mean, you’re like just a mom . So I told him there was no way.”
Grace looked over at Alex where he’d gone to watch through the windows as their foes tried to come up with a plan. He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly sharing her thoughts.
“Who said that, honey?” she asked Danny.
“Ricky. He said he was an old friend of yours and that you all used to do stuff like this all the time. And that nobody was going to hurt me and I might get to see it before I go home.”
Ricardo Escobar . She took a deep breath before answering him. Whatever the dead asshole walking had told her son, it was helping to keep his trauma to a minimum and she didn’t want to blow it. But knowing the man had talked to her son—breathed the same air—had her aching to kill the bastard.
“He’s not really a friend of mine, honey. He’s a bad man and he took you, and we came to get you back.”
A spray of bullets tore up the flimsy wood over their heads and Grace threw herself over Danny. She shielded him with her body as they crawled toward the back of the room, where piles of wood and junk would offer him more protection.
He was shaking now, and his eyes told her he’d finally realized this wasn’t as cool as he’d first thought it was. “I want to go home, Mommy.”
“I know, baby. You curl up here and I’m going to go talk to Alex and see if he’s got a plan yet, okay?”
He nodded and Grace made her way back to the front of the room, staying low. “How’s it look?”
“Gallagher says they’re moving toward us, but they’re concentrating on the rear of the building. The boats are back there, so they must think we’ll make a break for them. But he found a place he can put the bird down. The longer we sit here the higher the chance of the helo getting taken out or reinforcements arriving. But it’s risky…”
Grace was quiet. While Gallagher zoned out to plan his or the team’s moves, Alex talked himself through the process. He always had, and her ability to hold silent and trust his judgment had been one of the reasons they’d worked so well together.
“The helo’s just through that grove and over the knoll,” he continued. “You run for it on foot while I lay down cover fire. Blow away anything that moves—just get Danny to that helo and Gallagher will take care of the rest.”
Icy fingers of fear strangled Grace’s heart. “Oh God…”
She couldn’t decipher his look through the veil of tears suddenly blurring her vision. “I can’t do it, Alex.”
“What the…now isn’t the time to go soft on me.”
“Soft, you—” Grace stopped and took a deep breath. God willing, she could yell obscenities at him later. “The helo’s almost a quarter mile from here, at a dead run. He’s too heavy for me. I barely made it here. And he’s never been a fast runner.”
He was silent while she paused to swallow…to breathe. “I’ll have to holster my gun. You’re strong enough to carry him and fire. There have been shots from that direction. We have
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